talktalk woes

I know I shouldn't use this blog to rant but ....

When I transferred my line and calls to TalkTalk I opted for online billing when I filled in the original online form.

When I try to log in the system says it doesn't recognize my e-mail address.

They then keep sending me e-mails, to that very address, nagging me to do online billing.

When I call for the fourth time to try to get it sorted the automated system askes me to input my phone number.

When I eventually get through to a person the first thing he asks for is my phone number.

When I ask, politely, what the point was of keying it in when I now have to repeat it all to him he hangs up on me!

Grrrr

Comments

[Bob H]

Hi Euan,

I have changed ISPs but I have for some time been using plus.net for my phone calls. They are reasonably priced and you can actually speak to UK support staff who know their own business. You don't just get a drone.

Bob

[alex]

Euan,

I had exactly the same problem as you and reported it to Watchdog. TalkTalk were in the press this week as they might be getting taken over - perhaps their call centre people are on their redundancy period ?

See other sites where they are failing e.g.

http://www.pcadvisor.co.uk/forums/index.cfm?action=showthread&threadid=319245&forumid=2

Anyway the internet is where purchasers ought to be able to exchange service stories, good and bad, so thanks for your post.

http://www.talktalk.co.uk/talktalk/servlet/gben-home-Home

I got one of these e-mails on March 28th so talktalk does have a human

"TalkTalk Customer Relations"

I am sorry to hear that you are having problems, the address to use is
> www.talktalk.co.uk which allows you to view the site showing our range
> of Call Plans and support. Once you hold a Broadband account with
> TalkTalk in the same site you can view and manage all activities of the
> TalkTalk account on line including contacting technical support.
>
> If you continue to have problems please contact our TalkTalk Technical
> Support and Faults on 0870 087 8777 (Calls to this number are free from
> a TalkTalk landline. Charges may vary from mobile phones and non
> TalkTalk landlines). You can also email broadbandsupport@talktalk.co.uk
> or visit our website at www.aol.co.uk/talktalk.
>
> Yours sincerely,
>
> David Hewines
> TalkTalk Customer Relations

Then on April 8th after the arguments back and forth, talktalk themselves had to log me on and I got this e-mail. They had changed my name though, bizarrely !!!

Dear Mr Ayton,

Thank you for your enquiry regarding our Online Billing service.

I have registered your TalkTalk account for Online Billing. Your
username and password are:

Username: xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Password: xxxxxxxxxxxxx

In the interests of security, I would recommend that you change your
password to one of your own the first time that you log onto the system.

To log in and manage your account online, please go to
www.talktalk.co.uk, click on ?My Account? and log in by entering the
above username and password. Once you have logged into your account, you
can access billing information from the current and previous months and
also search specialised categories such as ?frequently dialled numbers?.

I trust that the interactive Online Billing service will prove
beneficial to you.

Pete Murphy
Customer Services

[Euan W Semple]

Thanks Alex. Interesting. The reason I get so frustrated by all these call centre experiences is that in most cases no one owns the problem and despite having scripts that say nice words no one appears to really want to sort it.

When get a system that works with a grown up who is allowed to make decisions I go out of my way to thank them and compliment them.

[Jeremy Jacobs]

Nearly as bad as queuing in a certain High St. bank!!